Yankees pitching prospect rising from the dead with dominant start to 2025 season

The New York Yankees thought they found a fast-riser in the draft nearly four years ago when they selected polished Stanford right-hander Brendan Beck back in 2021. His calm, yet calculated and dastardly demeanor was a little reminiscent of a former Stanford hurler who found success in the Bronx: Mike Mussina. He wouldn't blow anyone away with combustible arm talent, but he seemed likely to be able to coast on his mid-90s heater and tenacity directly into the middle of a big-league rotation before too long.

Of course ... that's when the trouble began. As it always seems to.

Beck underwent Tommy John surgery immediately after attempting to ramp up for his professional debut in 2021, rendering scouting lead Damon Oppenheimer's proposed timeline for his MLB arrival completely irrelevant. After fighting his way back for 34 excellent frames (with a 1.59 ERA) back in 2023, he missed the entirety of the 2024 season on the "full-season Injured List" due to another preseason surgical procedure.

That felt like the death blow to many, but not to Beck, who fought his way back to Double-A Somerset to open the 2025 season, where he has done his best to win back his skeptics instantaneously. In three starts — totaling 15 innings, so they're not stubs, either — he has allowed zero earned runs and five hits, whiffing 13 and walking only a pair.

New York Yankees pitching prospect Brendan Beck is off to an incredible start after long time away from MLB

Beck capped off his hot stretch by earning Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors for his pristine six shutout frames last week.

Seeing Beck resurface on the backfields this spring was like seeing a unicorn, then seeing that unicorn paint 94. It's a long way from getting comfortable in game action to blowing away the competition at the second-highest level of the minors ... but it's a level that Beck had never before ascended to.

Given his age (26) and pedigree, there's a chance that Beck gets a quicker-than-expected (based on time missed) promotion to the Triple-A level. Don't expect the zero ERA to last forever, but it'd be hard to expect more than what Beck has given them out of literal nowhere. For a team that spent their whole draft in 2024 rebuilding their stable of arms, it's a great sign that the Yankees have also received an additional gift.